Man to serve 4 years after police find cocaine strapped to thigh, in body cavity

BRUNSWICK, Maine — A 19-year-old Massachusetts man who carried 168 grams of cocaine strapped to his inner thigh and in a body cavity has been sentenced to six years in jail with all but four years suspended and four years of probation.

Hector Nieves-Martinez of New Bedford, Mass., was arrested just after 4 a.m. Aug. 7 on Route 1 near Cook’s Corner after police saw him operating erratically, Deputy Chief Marc Hagan of the Brunswick Police Department said at the time.

Brunswick police Officer Matthew Swan reportedly smelled marijuana in the car, so he questioned the occupants. Hagan said stories told by the three people in the vehicle didn’t match, “leading [Swan] to believe they had illegal narcotics” in the car.

A search revealed 159 grams of cocaine, packaged for resale, strapped to Nieves-Martinez’s inner thigh, Hagan said. During a subsequent search, police found an additional 9 grams in a body cavity.